This invention relates to an electronic equipment for connection, which is connected to an electronic equipment, such as a tape recorder or a variety of video equipment, and adapted for exchanging information signals with the electronic equipment.
The electronic equipment, constructed as the tape recorder, video tape recorder video camera or the television, is in widespread use.
In such electronic equipment, especially that designed for reducing its size for ease of transport there is proposed such an equipment in which a battery housing section is provided within the outer casing and a dry battery is accommodated in the battery housing section so as to be used as a power source.
There is also proposed an electronic equipment for connection which is connected to the above mentioned electronic equipment when in use and which is adapted for exchanging information signals with the electronic equipment connected thereto.
Among these electronic equipment for connection, there are, for example, a microphone device for converting the sound into electrical signals and supplying the signals to the electronic equipment, a speaker device for converting the electrical signals supplied from the electronic equipment, a video camera device for converting the image into electrical signals and supplying these electrical signals to the electronic equipment, a remote control device for generating control signals for controlling the operation of the electronic equipment, a display device for displaying a predetermined information on the basis of electrical signals supplied from the electronic equipment, a signal converter such as an A/D or D/A converter, a memory device, or a power source device for supplying a power source for operating the electronic equipment.
The electronic equipment to which the electronic equipment for connection is connected, referred to hereinafter as the connected electrical equipment, has a plurality of connection terminals adapted for exchanging information signals. These connection terminals are constructed as so-called connection jacks to which may be inserted connection plugs connected to the electronic equipment for connection or as connectors having a plurality of terminal pins. The connection terminals are mounted on the other casing so as to lie outwardly of an outer casing of the connected electronic equipment.
The connection terminals of the connected electronic equipment vary with the electronic equipment for connection to which the connected electronic equipment is connected by means of these connection terminals. Examples of these connection terminals include a terminal to which acoustic signals are entered, a terminal from which the acoustic signals are outputted, a terminal to which image signals are entered, a terminal from which the image signals are outputted, a terminal to which various control signals are entered, a terminal from which the control signals are outputted and a terminal to which the power from the power source is entered. There are also instances wherein there are provided connection terminals having different impedances for the electronic equipment for connection or terminals for right and left channels for input and output of stereophonic audio signals.
That is, with the above described connected electronic equipment, there are provided connection terminals in dependence upon the functions possessed by the equipment or the type of the electronic equipment for connection that may be connected to this electronic equipment.
Meanwhile, in an electronic equipment employing a magnetic tape cassette or an optical disk as a recording medium and constructed as a signal recording and/or reproducing apparatus, there is proposed such an equipment which, due to miniaturization of electronic components, in reduced in size to such an extent that the outer casing thereof is substantially of the same size as the recording medium employed. With such a small size electronic equipment, the size of the equipment may be reduced further by reducing the number of the connection terminals.
There is also proposed such electronic equipment which is endowed with a larger number of functions and which enables digital signals to be exchanged between it and the electronic equipment for connection. It is difficult with such electronic equipment to reduce the number of the connection terminals.
That is, in such electronic equipment, the very fact that the connecting terminal mounting section is provided on the outer casing raises difficulties in further reducing the size of the equipment in its entirety.
On the other hand, the very fact that a larger number of connection terminals are attached to the outer casing complicates tho assembling and fabrication of the electronic equipment.
In addition, since the connection terminals are exposed to the outside of the outer casing, the user's hand or finger is likely to touch these connection terminals so that it becomes difficult to protect the connection terminals from injury or corrosion.